The proposed Old Westbury Neuroscience Research Institute will increase the research potential of the SUNY/College at Old Westbury, the faculty and our minority undergraduate students. The goal for the immediate future will be to provide research support for the faculty so that they may obtain R01-type grants, create an environment for the further development of research at the College and increase minority student representation in graduate programs. Over the longer term, the goal will be to increase the numbers of minority students in careers in mental health and drug abuse treatment and prevention. The College is ideally suited to carry out this mission because it has a high percentage of minority students who choose science as a major and a faculty experienced in research and the training of students in neuroscience research with special interests in molecular and cellular approaches. The proposed MIRDP student curriculum is built on a core mental health-neuroscience concentration that already exists. The MIRDP faculty and students will be involved with modern neurobiological-immune techniques (receptor binding, neuroendocrine/behavior, neurotransmitter/ modulator identification, image analysis), and will work as well on many levels (molecular, cellular and organismic) concerned with the elucidating neuropeptide mechanisms. The program will provide seminars/lectures and workshops related to ADAMHA areas. The students will have an opportunity to earn entrance into the existing ADAMHA-MARC Program as well as our Society for Neuroscience Chapter. Our program stresses meritorious mental health-drug abuse research as an immediate goal or measure of our activity. The career choices of the students will be broadened, and their expertise and awareness of mental health and related areas will increase. This program offers a strong "wet-lab" foundation to foster mental health and drug abuse interests and build on these areas as career options as well as develop both faculty research and institutional advancement in this area.